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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — a series
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — goods
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. season — of the year
  8. charge — electricity
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. squash — to crush
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. charge — in control
  15. press — a publisher
  16. board — to get on
  17. press — to push
  18. season — in sport
  19. charge — a price
  20. press — newspapers
  21. board — a committee
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. scale — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com